As a Quins player I’m probably in a good position to discuss the difficulties of playing Exeter after our loss to them down at Sandy Park a fortnight ago.

We travelled to the West Country on a run of nine consecutive victories, and we were obviously confident that we could extend that run. It was not to be as our opponents took a deserved victory.

However, along with every other side in the country, we have a huge amount of respect for last year’s Championship winners, and given the strength of their showing this year, it could not be said that the result against us was necessarily a surprise.

Exeter also proved they can win on the road after they beat Newcastle 23-13 on Friday night at Kingston Park.

Importantly, the Chiefs are a team built upon the basic fundamentals of what is needed to be successful.

They have a consistent and strong set piece which regularly provides their backs with good quality possession to build from, and at the heart of that backline they have a strong nine and 10 combination.

Haydn Thomas and Gareth Steenson always offer a threat in an attacking sense, and of course Steenson is a very consistent goal kicker – he notched up 18 points against the Falcons and against us he scored 15.

But what is the most critical aspect of their success this year is their massive commitment and work rate.

Any team will face a great challenge in outworking this side for 80 minutes, and we certainly did not achieve it two weeks ago. Lucky for us though we managed to bounce back on the weekend when we defeated Sale 21-9 at the Stoop.

If you add into the mix the hostile and passionate home environment created by Exeter’s home crowd, then it seems they have a pretty strong formula for consistent performances.

Mark Lambert plays prop for Harlequins in the Aviva Premiership and has represented the England Saxons.